Suspect arrested in 1984 death of Joplin woman

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JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) - A suspect in the 1984 death of a Joplin woman is awaiting extradition from California where he was found after he applied for Social Security benefits, law enforcement authorities said.

Paul A. Moses, 64, has been a fugitive since August 1984, when he was named a suspect in the slaying of 62-year-old Frances Ramsey whose body was found in a duplex near her home.

Joplin police said Moses used his real name and Social Security number when applying for benefits, tripping an alert in an FBI database that he was wanted for unlawful flight to avoid arrest, The Joplin Globe reported.

After the FBI told Joplin police Moses apparently was living in San Diego, a police corporal spent five days in August in California unsuccessfully trying to find him. He alerted the FBI office in San Diego when he left and the suspect was arrested last Friday, said Lt. Brian Lewis, head of criminal investigations for the Joplin Police Department.

Ramsey died of blunt force trauma to the head and Moses was considered a suspect from the beginning, police said. A woman who lived in the duplex reported a burglary at her home and one of the officers who responded to that call found Ramsey's body in an unoccupied unit, Lewis said. It's still unclear if the burglary was related to Ramsey's death.

A bloody suspected murder weapon and evidence linking Moses to the scene were recovered but Lewis declined to be more specific. Investigators were told Moses was with Ramsey at a bar the night before her death. After investigators couldn't find him, a warrant was issued charging Moses with first-degree murder. The FBI later issued a warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

Moses is being held without bond in San Diego.

Prosecutor Dean Dankelson said Wednesday that if Moses does not waive extradition, Jasper County will initiate proceedings in California. Meanwhile, he is reviewing the previous investigation and officers are tracking down witnesses.

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Information from: The Joplin (Mo.) Globe, http://www.joplinglobe.com

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Suspect arrested in 1984 death of Joplin woman

JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) ? A suspect in the 1984 death of a Joplin woman is awaiting extradition from California where he was found after he applied for Social Security benefits, law enforcement authorities